Newcastle are one win away from securing Champions League football for the 2025/26 season, giving us a chance to head into the summer transfer window with real momentum as a club.
From top Premier League talent to rising stars across Europe, it’s testament to our rapid growth these last few years that we’re now competing with some of the world’s biggest clubs for quality signings.
And perhaps the most recent example is our growing interest in a duo from one of Europe’s elite clubs, with a recent report detailing recent scouting trips to Germany.
In his Newcastle Confidential column, [The Mail’s](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-14715483/Newcastle-new-badge-crest-transfer-news.html) Craig Hope has revealed two Borussia Dortmund players who have been watched by members of Newcastle’s recruitment team.
Those two players being Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel and young winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who could both be available for a bargain price in a very short space of time.
Kobel is a name that may be fresh in the memory of fans, as the Swiss international has already been linked with us in the past few weeks.
But in the case of Bynoe-Gittens, the 20-year-old has attracted serious praise this season; with 12 goals in 34 starts, he’s considered one of the Bundesliga’s rising stars, and an England call up may not be far away after impressing with the Young Lions.
And with Dortmund’s lacklustre league campaign this season, Niko Kovac’s side risk losing Bynoe-Gittens for under £50m due to the youngster’s release clause being dependent on Dortmund qualifying for the Champions League.
Fortunately for them, and perhaps unfortunately for us and the rest of Bynoe-Gittens’ suitors, Dortmund play already-relegated Holstein Kiel in their last league game, and a victory by at least two goals will see them in the Champions League next season.
Despite these renewed links to Kobel and bold claims from Spain that Espanyol’s Joan Garcia could soon arrive on Tyneside, Hope reports that James Trafford ‘remains the top target.’
On top of that, Hope has given us some more insight into just how much he’s going to cost, claiming the Burnley stopper is set to command a £30m fee.
Considering we paid approximately £10m for Nick Pope and were offering a reported £16m for Trafford last summer, prior to his best season yet for the Claret, a £30m deal for England’s potential No 1 of the near future may still seem like a reasonable deal.
However, the edge someone like Kobel has over Trafford is Champions League experience: the 27-year-old started last year’s final against Real Madrid and may allow us to spend big in other areas if a cut-price deal could be negotiated.